11 United States Champions (Who Didn't Come From America)
Surprisingly they weren't all evil foreign heels.
Whether we want it to be or not, wrestling is inherently cartoonish. Heroes and villains fight for better positions on the card, winning and losing championships as they do. The United States Championship may very well embody this more than most titles, being as it is tied by name to the glorious, powerful, proud nation of the United States of America.
The strap was first won on New Year's Day 1975 by the legendary Harley Race, who defeated the not-so-legendary Johnny Weaver (the first man to use the Sleeper hold) in a tournament final. Since Race's initial reign a total of 82 men have shared 146 reigns, with current champion Rusev just days into his second run as champion.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the vast majority of champions have originated from the USA, but Rusev isn't alone in bringing foreign hands to the belt. The foreigner winning this most patriotic of championships has often been a storyline trope for the WWE and WCW before it, as the dastardly 'other' brings disrepute to the values of the nation before being vanquished by an American hero.
So just who are these non-Americans to have held the United States Championship? Read on to find out, but don't expect Carlito in here as Puerto Rico ain't no independent state!
11. A Whole Bunch Of Canadians
Over the proud 41 year history of the United States Championship, a grand total of six Canadian-born wrestlers have held the title. Each name is recognisable and legendary in their own right.
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper became the first Canadian to hold the title when he defeated Ric Flair at a house show in 1981, and it was during this reign that the title became the undisputed NWA United States Championship.
Piper would be joined in the Canuck Champion Club by Chris Benoit, Bret Hart, Lance Storm, Santino Marella and Edge. Benoit would hold the strap for the longest cumulative time, his five reigns stretching over 357 days which puts him eighth on the all-time list.
Interestingly enough, Edge comes second-bottom on that list, his reign lasting just six days. This was under special circumstances, however, as he bested Test at Survivor Series 2001 to unify it with the Intercontinental Championship.
Another interesting little memory here is that in his first reign Lance Storm re-named the title the Canadian Heavyweight Championship, during which time he was the only WCW wrestler to hold three titles simultaneously. Good for him.